GIMP Lomo Plugin

This is a slighly modified version of an old GIMP Lomo plugin I’ve used for ages that will now work with the new GIMP 2.4 release thanks to some advice I remembered reading on the GIMP User mailing list. The original plugin is by Francois Le Lay but hasn’t been updated since 2005. It’s a basic script but it’s very effective. Just be warned, if you resize your image, make sure you right click on the Vignette layer and click “Layer to image size” before the resize. Otherwise odd things happen!

Download

Download gimplomo.scm.

Install

Installation is easy. Simply copy gimplomo.scm into your .gimp-2.4/scripts/ folder and restart the GIMP. It will appear as Image->Filters->Light and Shadow->Lomo.

Example Images

Below are two before and after examples of what the Lomo plugin does to images. I have also posted fake lomo photos in the past which should give a really good idea of what it’s capable of.

Before and After Lomo images

Why the change to Script-fu?

Script-fu in GIMP 2.4 requires that variables be defined before using them which has broken a lot of Script-fu scripts unfortunately. In theory it’s a great change because it tightens up on sloppy programming but it hurts the end user!

Tagged: Gimp, gimp-2.4, gimp-lomo, irishblogs, lomo, Lomography, Photography, vignette, Words

I am waiting for the 2.4 release. Not yet right?

Written by Marco Raaphorst on October 23, 2007 at 9:45pm
I’m using the GIMP 2.4 pre-release based on 2.3rc3 in Ubuntu Linux and it’s fine so far. All those broken Script-fu scripts are a pain though!

Written by Donncha O Caoimh on October 24, 2007 at 12:28pm
I didn’t realize The Gimp still used Scheme for extension. I guess it’s been a while since I’ve looked though. I’ve had the desire to do this for a while but never any real motivation. Thanks!

Written by Andrew on October 24, 2007 at 11:40pm
I am getting an error on 2.4 (official version):
Error while excuting
(script-fu-lomo 1 2 1.5 20 20 TRUE)

Error set!: unbound variable: hvignette

Can’t use it. Maybe you can find the bug which is causing it.

Written by Marco Raaphorst on October 25, 2007 at 9:44am
Also using 2.4 and I get the following error on some images….

Error while executing
(script-fu-lomo 7 33 1.5 20 20 TRUE)

Error: set!: unbound variable: endingx

Written by matt on October 26, 2007 at 7:09am
For the photo-illiterate like myself, can you give a basic definition of lomo? At first I thought it must be something like LOLcats, but I see that it works some magic in the photos in your example, but I have no idea what is the criteria to apply this magic.

Written by Lloyd Budd on October 26, 2007 at 4:32pm
Lloyd - I thought I had posted a link to the Wikipedia page on Lomography, but no, I hadn’t. Here it is. Lomo cameras were cheap cameras with bad lenses but they created unusual effects when used. They’ve developed quite a cult following!

Technically, this plugin creates a vignetting effect, it darkens the edges and brightens the center, while increasing the contrast of the image. It has been overused but it still remains a quick way of adding a bit of sparkle to a snapshot. Today’s picture, Dunnes Stores for Better Value has the lomo treatment. If the gradient of the sky is just right it can be attractive, or it can make the sky look all banded because Jpeg doesn’t store enough data in 8 bits ..

Written by Donncha O Caoimh on October 26, 2007 at 5:18pm
Marco, Matt
Got the same error, but semmed to go away if I let gimp change the colour profile to sRGB instead of the camera profile…

Written by Wayne on October 26, 2007 at 7:29pm
The endingx error appears to happen if you use a portrait oriented photo, landscape ones are fine, so presumably happens in the section of code that checks for that. From a quick look at the code, it looks to me like endingx goes out of scope when the ‘if’ clause is exited, but I’m certainly no scheme expert.

Written by Nick on October 27, 2007 at 1:20am
Marco and Matt - I’ve fixed the script. Nick was right about the if statement. I moved 2 lines of code up before it and everything works!

Written by Donncha O Caoimh on October 27, 2007 at 8:47pm
Why is it that 95% of scripts and plugins won’t work in 2.4? and then most of the fixes are suppose to work but they won’teither? ! If the “pretty” new interface of GIMP is the only thing that works, why the hell bother?

Written by mustangrider on December 24, 2007 at 11:28pm
mustangrider - probably because you’re doing something wrong. The script works fine.

Written by Donncha O Caoimh on December 25, 2007 at 6:37am
To fix the error on double vigneting I had to change the set! to let* as following:

from:
(if (= adv TRUE) ( begin (set! hvignette (car (gimp-layer-copy vignette 0))) (gimp-layer-set-opacity hvignette 80) (gimp-image-add-layer img hvignette -1) ) )

to

(if (= adv TRUE) ( begin (let* ((hvignette (car (gimp-layer-copy vignette 0)))) (gimp-layer-set-opacity hvignette 80) (gimp-image-add-layer img hvignette -1) ) ) )

Nice filter, thanks!

Written by Bruno on December 26, 2007 at 11:32pm
Bruno - I tried that fix for the double vignette but it did weird things. First of all, the plugin didn’t seem to do anything, then when I clicked on layers it applied the lomo effect, but it was impossible to ctrl-z/undo the lomo effect. I wonder if it would be safer to remove the “double vignette” checkbox altogether. The dark overlay layer can be duplicated to get the same effect anyway!

Written by Donncha on February 14, 2008 at 3:16pm
For the life of me, I cannot seem to be able to install Lomo. What am I doing wrong? Heeeeeelp, please. I had 2.0, upgraded to 2.4.

Thanks!

Written by Marlon on June 08, 2008 at 2:43pm
I ‘repaired’ the script and added some new features.
http://registry.gimp.org/node/7870

Written by elsamuko on August 12, 2008 at 4:10pm
Great work elsamuko! I must give it a spin tomorrow.

Written by Donncha on August 12, 2008 at 8:11pm
thanks a lot elsamuko and Donncha! it’s working very fine under OSX for me.

Written by Marco Raaphorst on August 12, 2008 at 8:25pm
I added a black vignette and simulated film grain, now it looks even more realistic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28653536@N07/2760219991/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Written by elsamuko on August 14, 2008 at 1:41pm
@elsamuko : have you update the script with the film gain effect as well?

Written by Marco Raaphorst on August 14, 2008 at 1:50pm
Film Grain Script is still the first one, because I scripted just a description from gimpguru.com. But if you have any suggestions, make a comment there.

If u have both scripts u can add
(script-fu-grain img black_vignette 2 100 128)
to line 281 of gimplomo.scm. Then the black vignette will be made grainy automatically.

Written by elsamuko on August 14, 2008 at 2:31pm
Next little update of the GIMP Lomo Script: Wide Angle Simulation.
Get it here:
http://registry.gimp.org/node/7870

Written by elsamuko on August 15, 2008 at 1:10am